On Tuesday night, Lupe Valdez became the first openly gay and the first Latina candidate to win a major party nomination for Texas governor.

Democrats chose the longtime Dallas County sheriff to take on Gov. Greg Abbott in the midterm election this fall. Valdez earned 53 percent of the vote in the runoff, according to unofficial totals, defeating her opponent Houston businessman Andrew White, who got nearly 47 percent.

At Ellen’s restaurant in Dallas, Valdez’s supporters were ecstatic. After a primary that dragged into a runoff, their candidate had made history. Thanking her supporters, Valdez said her victory was a step toward a new Texas.